How we've fared & Who we've shared: The 2025-26 Premier League teams from a Chelsea perspective. Part 1 - Arsenal

We're 3 weeks into the 2025-26 English Premier League season. Entering as World Champions, Palace tempered our high expectations in Week 1. We bounced back in some style, putting 5 past West Ham away in a fixture that has not been so giving to us in the past. We stayed in London and edged past Fulham at home. That's been a relative banker for us in the Premier League - except last season when they got their first ever win at the Bridge.

The Blues have been a staple of the Premier League since it began in 1992-93. I'm sure you knew that. But did you know - with Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley coming up from the Championship - we've played each current Premier League team before, multiple times in fact. Brentford have been in the Premier league for 4 seasons before this one, and that's the lowest of all the current teams. Lots of data!

That may not sound like such a big deal, I get it. So I'll give you another one. There are players who have played for both Chelsea and every other Premier League team, some serving both with distinction!

Why not have a look at our Premier League history with each team through some statistical observations, statement wins and humbling defeats and some of the boys who did it in something more than just Chelsea Blue.

Arsenal

Head to Head Record (Wins 20 - Draws 19 - Losses 27)

• Most Defeats (27, =1st)
• Lowest Goal Difference (-8, 1st)
• Most Goals Scored (94, 1st)
• Most Home Defeats (10, 1st)
• Most Away Defeats (17, =1st)
• Fewest Away Points Per Game (.91, =1st)
• Most goals by a Premier League team at Stamford Bridge (42, 1st)

In more ways than most, Arsenal are our biggest rivals. Our neighbours from the North constantly put up a challenge for the title of 'The Pride of London', but our European Pedigree makes that challenge a limp one. Domestically, Arsenal have a very good record against us. Their 10 wins at Stamford Bridge is unmatched and we only have a worse away record at Anfield. No team has scored more goals at Stamford Bridge either.

Arsenal were the only challenger to Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering Manchester United at the turn of the millennium. Chelsea's Abramovich fueled surge to the top of the Premier League came by dethroning the Invincibles. With Didier Drogba in our ranks for the better part of the next decade, we routinely came out on top. Recent meetings have ended decisively in their favor; and on a personal note I hate nothing more than losing to Arsenal.

Key Fixtures

Ray Parlour scored from distance, setting up an Arsenal win in the 2002 FA Cup Final - on his birthday no less. Then a Wayne in Blue made history scoring against Arsenal, Bridge's late winner at Highbury dumping out the to-be Invincibles 2-1 from the Champions League in 2004.

Mourinho arrived and got under Arsene Wenger's skin, constantly getting the better of the Frenchman with one incredible Michael Essien trivela (? Was it?) to equalize 1-1 saving the Blues blushes at the Bridge. One of my all time favorite goals that. A thumping 4-1 win away under Guus Hiddink was a tremendous response from the boys who had been done in by Tom Ovrebo in Midweek and Carlo won his first 3 games against the Gunners with relative ease.

The tables turned when a Van Persie hat-trick and a slippery Theo Walcott inspired Arsenal to a 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge, both players popping up with key, frustrating goals against us in coming years for multiple teams. Mourinho returned to ruin Arsene Wenger's 1000th game in charge as the Blues ran out 6-0 winners. This was a game remembered for a crazy sequence of events, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain handling the ball in the box giving us a penalty but Andre Marriner sending Kieran Gibbs off in a case of misidentification.

Antonio Conte oversaw a 4-4-2 disaster-class at the Emirates as Arsenal would go into half time 3-0 up. Marcos Alonso would come on and Victor Moses would start the next game and Chelsea would go on a 13 game win streak and win the league! Eden Hazard scored one of the all-time great Premier League goals in a 3-1 win and said his goodbyes to us with a devastating performance in the 4-1 2019 Europa League final rout. Since then, we've lost 2 FA Cup Finals to that lot and there's a 5-0 defeat fresh in the memory.

I say no.

— Reece James (@ReeceJames) June 29, 2023

They Played for Both

Did someone say FA Cup Finals? Ashley Cole heard you. The Greatest Left Back in Premier League History was already an Arsenal and England regular when we tapped him up. William Gallas went the other way, and decided to wear the No. 10 Jersey, he was a Center Back. Cole was unbeatable, wingers rarely got the better of him - not even Cristiano Ronaldo when he identified as a winger - and Cole loved a goal-line clearance.

Cesc Fabregas wore the No.10 for Spain, but he wore No.4 for Arsenal and then Chelsea. An absolute footballing genius that you can see having a fantastic coaching career, I hated him as an opponent. A character with an edge to supplement his unquestionable ability, Mourinho getting him to sign for us was a masterstroke as the guy was just a winner. An opening day assist for Andre Schurrle an absolute highlight in our 2015 title run, and he set up Costa often on the way to a 2nd title with the Blues.

A lot of forward players have switched between the clubs recently, Aubameyang, Havertz, Sterling, Madueke come to mind. However there are 2 strikers who were Good in Red but became Great in Blue.

Olivier Giroud is still finding the back of the net for Lille after his American vacation. What a fabulous footballer. Six months after he joined us, he led France to the FIFA World Cup title without scoring a goal. Giroud would score the important goal, but his overall game was instrumental in 2 European Titles. He was Europa League top scorer and scored the opener in the 2019 Final against his old club. There were 4 goals at Sevilla and a critical overhead effort against Atletico Madrid as we went on to win the Big Ears for the 2nd time.

We'll get to the 1st time, but there was the 'Almost 1st' time, 10 years before Giroud joined. Nicolas Anelka had seen his decisive penalty saved as we lost the Champions League final in 2008. 'Le Sulk' had been a troublesome character in dressing rooms. Arsenal had let go of him to Real Madrid in 1999 for what is still one of the 3 biggest Transfer Sales in their history. At Chelsea, Anelka scored goals. In his first full season for us, he ended up as the Premier League Golden Boot with 19 goals. The next year, as Drogba's accomplice in Ancelotti's free scoring 4-4-2 Diamond, he would score 11 but assist Drogba as the Ivorian won that season's Golden Boot with the Blues racking up over a 100 goals on the way to a 3rd Premier League title, the first team to do so. We really fumbled Ancelotti didn't we?

There are a few players who had glittering Chelsea Careers before going to Arsenal. Brazilians Willian and David Luiz went there as dual Premier League Champions, the latter joining Faux Brazilian Jorginho as European Champion. A final shout out goes to the only player to rival Cole & Fabregas in their overall legacies. However, he did almost all of it for us and most of it in a helmet. Petr Cech might be the best player to play for both clubs. That 1st Champions League win, the 'Their City. Their Stadium. Their Trophy' one, Cech guessing right each way in the shootout is the stuff of legend.

What are you favourite memories and goals from our matches with Arsenal? Can you name some more players who played for both teams?

Next time, its Aston Villa.